Influencer marketing: sponsorship disclosure and value co-creation behaviour

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationships between sponsorship disclosure, influencer type and audience value co-creation behaviour in influencer marketing. Design/methodology/approach This study explores audience value co-creation behaviour in influencer marketing through sponsorship disclosure and influencer type using a 3 (sponsorship disclosure: explicit vs implicit vs no disclosure) × 3 (influencer type: micro vs meso vs macro) factorial between-subjects design. Findings This study finds that the influence of explicit disclosure on audience value co-creation behaviour (participation behaviour and citizenship behaviour) is greater than when that information is either implied or not disclosed. Likewise, the influence of macro-influencers on audience participation behaviour is higher than that of micro-influencers and meso-influencers. The findings also show that the interaction effect between influencer type and sponsorship disclosure significantly impacts audience participation behaviour. Originality/value This study introduces value co-creation behaviour into influencer marketing and expands research on sponsorship disclosure and influencer type. The study further enriches the value co-creation behaviour antecedent research in influencer marketing.